


what do calla lilies mean?

by joyfulwriting



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, F/M, It works ok, flower shop au, hopefully you all enjoy!, im trying to fill up the Leiffin tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-01 20:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15781446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyfulwriting/pseuds/joyfulwriting
Summary: Calla lilies represent purity and magnificence; innocence. Everything that James found Ina to be and more.(Flower shop au where Ina is a florist with facts about every flower she sells, James is interested in the flowers, but becomes more interested in the girl selling them as time goes on)





	1. how does one say “fuck you” in flower?

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so excited to be writing this! Granted, I’m still trying to figure out how it’ll go, but hopefully you’ll all enjoy reading it, Leiffin is so cute in my opinion (and I couldn’t help but include a few of my other favorites in this) I hope I do them justice! (they’re all in college btw)

For the four months, sixteen days and five hours (and counting) she had worked as a florist, Ina Leifsdottir had never been asked how to say ‘fuck you’, in flower. 

Ina knew managing a flower shop in the middle of a bustling city wouldn’t get much business, unless it was around a holiday like Valentine’s Day. People would come in to buy flowers for a significant other, for a date or an anniversary. Sometimes she’d get a big order for a wedding, which was hard to fill sometimes since it was just her, but she worked dutifully and always got it done in time. That’s why her Yelp reviews were so good. 

However, the main reason she chose to open a flower shop of her own is because she loved flowers, she had a book and was able to retain every single fact about the flowers she had in stock. Down to their meanings and what they represented. 

Most people asked for the all around favorites, roses, daisies, tulips, etc. But she wasn’t quite sure what to say when a guy came in, looking really pissed, slammed some cash down on the counter and asked: “How do I say fuck you in flower?”

Ina stood there for a moment, staring blankly at him. “Well, you can’t say that in flower.”

The guy stared back at her, blinking.

“Well you can’t spell it out in flowers, that’d take a while. It seems like you’re in a rush.” 

“Uh.. Yeah, so what’s the next best thing? Is there any kind of flower that could possibly mean fuck you..?” 

She thought for a moment before going into the back and coming out with a single tansy, a yellow puffball of a flower, to show him. She did it for all her customers, to see if they wanted to buy that kind or not. “Tansies.”

He tilted his head and put his arms on the counter, leaning forward. “What are they?”

“Flowers.”

“No no I mean.. what do they mean?”

“Oh, well, they pretty much mean ‘I declare war on you’. So despite the friendly looking appearance, they mean the opposite.”

He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, okay that sounds about right. They’re for my roommate, she used the rest of the milk and didn’t throw the carton out. I wanted to say, well, pretty much what the flowers mean.”

She nodded and went into the back room, grabbing a vase and a few dozen tansies, putting them in the vase and sliding them over to him, their fingers touching while he reached to grab it from him. He met her gaze, both taking each other in for a moment before the moment was interrupted, a couple came into the store.

“No worries Pidge, this is the best florist in town! I want the best for you.” The taller boy grinned down at his girlfriend, Pidge, while she rolled her eyes at him, though it seemed like a playful gesture. 

“Right, okay, I’d rather have a succulent if anything.” Pidge replied, leaning into her boyfriend. “Hey, isn’t that Griffin?”

“Oh, yeah it is!” The boy grinned. “James! Hey, it’s Lance! We’re in the same class, physics!” The boy, Lance, waved enthusiastically with his free hand, while Pidge managed a simple nod in his direction.

The boy, who she now knew as James, gave a slight wave in their direction, managing a smile as well. “Hey Lance, Katie.”

Ah, so Pidge was just a nickname. An odd one, it sounded like Pidgeon, or something. But Ina was in no position to judge, it was probably an inside thing. Ina also noticed that James had moved his hand away from hers, and she frowned slightly before handing the vase to him. “Here, that’ll be ten dollars.”

“Oh, right..” He looked down at the five he had put down on the counter before and took out another five, smiling at her. “See you around..”

“Ina.. Ina Leifsdottir.” She filled in the gap, smiling back. 

“See you around then, Ina.” He waved and took the vase, leaving the shop and turning the corner. 

She sighed softly and turned her attention back to the couple in front of her, but the rest of the day she wasn’t able to get her mind off of James. She wondered why that was. 

Even when she was locking up and going home, she wondered why he had intrigued her so much. Maybe it was because he had seemed genuinely curious about the flowers? Or maybe it was the way their fingers touched while she was handing him the vase, or maybe even the way he smiled at her, and the way it made her heart swell. She shook her head, frowning to herself as she walked into her apartment. She was getting ahead of herself. It wasn’t like she’d ever see him again. 

But oh, how wrong she was.


	2. tansies and crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James can’t get Ina out of his head, for some reason. Are his friends right and that he has a crush on her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! I’m happy that I’ve kind of got a clear idea of where this is going, and I’m happy that it’s gotten such positive feedback! Hopefully you can continue to give kudos and comments, let me know what I’m doing wrong or right!

James Griffin was and never had been a flower kind of person. Sure, they were pretty, but he’d never go out of his way to buy them for any kind of reason. Well, except for today.

He wasn’t sure what it was about today, why he felt the need to go and angrily buy flowers for Nadia when she left the fucking empty milk carton on the counter and didn’t bother throwing it out, but he needed to get out of the apartment before he got unnecessarily upset, and somehow a flower shop seemed like a calm place to go. And it was.

The bell rung when he swung the door open, pots lined up on the shelves with succulents in them. There was a blonde standing at the counter, big bluish gray eyes had locked on him immediately, probably a little confused as to why he came here in such a mood. 

Their exchange was strange, sure. She took everything literally, but she also seemed to know a lot about the flowers she was selling, which was nice that she wasn’t bullshitting her way through her job. He thought it was cool she knew so much. When she was handing him the vase of tansies, their hands met for a split second, but they held each other’s gazes for a lot longer. She had freckles dotting her cheeks and across her nose, her eyes slightly widened. But the moment was interrupted when Lance McClain and Katie Holt, who he knew from university, walked through the door, Lance’s boisterous attitude breaking their little moment, whatever it was. 

Ina, was her name, Ina Leifsdottir. She smiled at him while he was leaving, and for some reason his heart did a flip. He wondered why. 

——————

When he got back to his apartment, he found his two roommates, Ryan Kinkade and Nadia Rizavi on the couch, Ryan reading a book while Nadia was all up on her girlfriend, Veronica McClain, Lance’s older sister. He sighed and put the vase down on the coffee table, his arms crossed. “Fuck you.”

Nadia spared a glance up at him. “Thanks, but no thanks.” She looked at the flowers. “You know, usually if someone wants to say ‘fuck you’ they don’t say it with these weeds.”

“They’re not weeds, they’re called tansies.” 

That got him three quizzical looks from Ryan, Nadia, and Veronica, who snorted. “How do you know what tansies are?”

James huffed and sat in the chair adjacent to the couch. “Because the girl at the flower shop told me, you think I’d know otherwise? They mean ‘I declare war on you’ or something like that. So watch your back.”

“Ooh, I’m shaking in my boots.” She grinned. “So, how do you know what they mean? Did she tell you?”

“Yeah.. She was really into it, and I was kind of interested too.” He smiled a bit.

Nadia looked up, a slight smirk playing on her lips. “Uh oh~”

“What?”

“I think somebody’s got a crush on the florist~”

James’s cheeks flooded with heat as he shook his head vigorously. “W-What?? No! I mean I hardly know her, how could I have a crush on her?”

Nadia put her hands up defensively. “Hey, whatever. I’m just saying that’s what it looks like, and you don’t get crushes very often.”

He pouted and got up from the armrest, going into his bedroom to attempt and get some homework done. He was studying to be a pilot, it was what he had always wanted to be. However, he ended up reading the same passages over and over again because his mind kept drifting off to Ina, and her pretty bluish gray eyes. 

Oh shit, he had a crush. 

—————

James was attempting to figure out a way to go back to the flower shop without it drawing too much suspicion from his nosy roommates. So, under the ruse that he was off to study, he left to go to the shop. 

His heart was pounding the whole ten minute walk it took to get there, and when he did arrive, it looked like she was doing inventory. The bell rung when he opened the door, and when she turned around to see who it was, she gave him a small smile. “Oh, hi.”

“Hey, Ina..” He shoved his hands in his pockets, his cheeks going slightly red. 

“What did your roommate say about the tansies?” Ina turned around to face him. 

“Oh, she called them weeds, but don’t worry, I set her straight.” He chuckled, sighing when her smile grew a little at his comment. “So, you’re probably busy right now, but would you mind if I stayed? It’s calm and quiet here, a nice break from my apartment. 

He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say, but he was pleasantly surprised when she said yes.

God, he had it bad.


	3. yellow roses and making friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James can’t seem to get enough of Ina, but lucky for him, she feels the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three! I’m glad you guys seem to be enjoying this, I’m enjoying it too! (Just a heads up, there will be a lot of my own personal headcanons in this chapter, just letting you know!) and for all the people wondering when Plance and Verizavi are coming in more, don’t worry, they’ll be coming in very soon :D

Ina was glad that James had asked to stick around for a while, to keep her company. Because like I said before, she didn’t get a lot of business. 

He made himself comfortable in a corner of the shop, pulling out his laptop and getting to work on something, probably homework, she assumed. She wouldn’t pry, and kept doing inventory, grabbing her phone and going to Spotify. It helped to have music playing while she was working, it made things go by faster. She looked up. “Do you mind if there’s music?”

James shook his head. “Nah, I usually have it playing while I’m working anyway, what kind of stuff do you listen to?”

“Classical mostly, or I listen to covers of songs done by orchestras. I like them.” She looked over at him. “What do you listen to?” 

“Ah, rock mostly? But I’ll listen to whatever’s on the radio, or what Nadia makes me listen to.”

After that, their conversation snowballed into different topics, like favorite foods, favorite color, if they had any pets, etc. It was enjoyable, and she liked getting to know him better, even if they had just met yesterday. It’d be nice to have a friend to talk to. 

He told her about his family, and what they were like. He described his parents as some of the nicest, hardworking people in the world. His mother was an accountant, and his father was a retired marine. They were loving and doting, to him and his little sister, Mia. Mia was ten years younger than he, so she was twelve, and she absolutely adored her big brother and was super proud of him. His family also had a big, lovable golden retriever named Prince, and Mia sent him about a dozen pictures a day. 

Ina smiled and told him about her family after he had finished, her family maybe not as big, but she loved them all the same. She had been born in Iceland, but moved to the states when she was a baby, and had grown up there. She was an only child, but that was fine with her as their house was filled with them, and their two big fluffy cats, Freya and Loki (Ina was a very big fan of Norse mythology, even to this day).

She told him about her parents and how they just worked office jobs, but they were hardworking and gave her the best life she could’ve gotten. She even showed him how she could speak a little Icelandic, and needless to say he was impressed. 

——————

“So, is there anything else I don’t know about you?” They were in the back now, Ina was filling orders for this big charity event in a few days, and she was even invited to go. But she usually never did, parties where she didn’t know anyone weren’t really her scene. 

“I go to Altea, the university a few blocks away, history major.” She smiled and looked at him. “You?”

“Oh no way, I do too!” He grinned. “How is it that I’ve never seen you? I guess we have different classes but.. shit. I gotta start looking out for you.”

“I do too.” She nodded and filled the last vase full of yellow roses. 

He looked down at the vase, and then back up at her. “So, you know pretty much everything about every kind of flower here right?”

“Mhm.”

“So could you tell me what yellow roses mean? I know they don’t mean the same as red roses, right?”

She smiled and looked up at him, nodding. “Yeah, no, yellow roses are more like.. they represent the sun, warmth and happiness, just all around good feelings.”

He nodded and stretched, looking at his watch. “Oh, man I should go, I didn’t realize it was almost four.”

“Time flies hm?” Ina hummed. “I should start closing anyway, but give me your phone for a second.”

James raised an eyebrow and slipped it out of his pocket, entering the code and handing it to her. “Okay..”

“Calm down, I’m giving you my number.” She smiled and put it in, handing it back to him. “Thanks for stopping by.”

He grinned and nodded. “Sure, maybe I’ll come back tomorrow? After classes.”

“Sure, I have my classes in the morning, so I come and open the store around two.”

“Welllll, maybe we could find each other and we could walk here together? These are dangerous city streets.” He grinned cheekily, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

Ina snorted and smiled. “Yeah, okay, we can meet up out front.”

“Sounds good! See you Ina!” He waved and left, a big grin on his face. 

Ina sighed softly and leaned on her hand, groaning. Why did she like this guy so much already? He was nice, and smart, not to mention handsome, and he had just spent the whole day with her. She just hoped that she wasn’t reading too much into things, or she’d get her heart completely wrecked.

On the other hand, she hoped, deep down, that she might be right, and that maybe, just maybe, he liked her, just a little.


	4. gardenias and gala invites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance catches onto James’s crush on Ina, and James falls harder for Ina, what else is new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m in a discord full of intellectuals and I love them, they even helped me figure out an obstacle for this :> be ready

Needless to say, James wished his classes would go by faster that morning. Why was it that when you had something you actually wanted to do, the day seemed to move in slow motion?

He had spaced out in physics, which had caught the attention of Lance, who sat next to him. Lance found this funny, because James was THE most focused person in their class, so he nudged him a little. “Hey man, you good?”

James jumped slightly, looking to see Lance snickering at him. He huffed and shook his head, turning his attention back to his notes. “None of your business.”

“Jeez, so hostile.” He smiled and did the same. “It’s just that you’re never distracted, so it must be something big on your mind. Can I guess?”

“No.”

“Okay so let’s see..” Lance continued, pretending to be deep in thought. “Is it family stuff?”

Silence.

“Hm.. roommate stuff?”

More silence.

“Is it a girl?”

James blushed and started writing again, gripping his pen so hard his knuckles went white. Damn all the McClain’s and their persistence, Veronica was the same way. Unfortunately, Lance saw his reaction and grinned. 

“Dude oh my god, you have a crush? Who is it, does she go here? I could totally help set you two up.”

Thankfully, it was at that time class was done, so he quickly shoved his stuff in his bag and got up, making a beeline for the door. Mostly to get away from Lance and his questions, but also because he was meeting Ina to go down to the flower shop. Unfortunately, he knew Lance would never let this go, and he was going to be pestered about this until he told him who it was. Or worse, he’d tell Veronica, and she’d tell Nadia, and then he’d be pestered whether he was at school or at home. 

He tried not to think about it too much, and luckily he didn’t, because he saw Ina standing in front of the big front doors. She spotted him and started waving at him. She wore a plain blue t-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. He sighed softly and walked over to her, smiling back. “Hey, how was your morning?”

“Long.” She replied, yawning almost to prove her point. She opened the door and started walking to the store, James quickly falling into step next to her. “I didn’t sleep too well last night, just one of those nights I guess.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get those, but honestly I was just really excited about seeing you today I couldn’t focus.” He glanced over at her, smiling when he saw her blush. “What?”

“Just.. surprised, no ones really wanted to go out of their way to spend time with me before.” Ina dug the keys for the shop out of her purse and unlocked the door, the little bell chiming when the door opened. “It’s always been that way.” She continued, going behind the counter and putting her apron on. 

“Well,” he hopped up on the counter, smiling at her. “I like spending time with you, and we’re friends now aren’t we?”

He didn’t miss the smile that had spread across her lips, despite her turning her head. 

“Yeah, we are.”

———————

“So, what’s this charity gala thing for anyway?”

They were in the back again, Ina preparing a few more dozen vases of yellow roses and gardenias, which meant “purity and sweetness”. James liked that she seemed so eager when he asked about flower meanings, it was so cute. She had even taught him how to cut them and prepare them so it went by a whole lot faster. 

“I’m not sure, I think it’s for the hospital a few blocks away.” She hummed, setting the last vase aside. “I guess I’ll find out when I go, though I hate going alone to those things, which is why I usually don’t.”

James tilted his head, his mouth moving before his brain even had a chance to process it. “What if I went with you? Are you allowed to bring a plus one?”

Ina looked up at him, looking slightly bewildered. “You’d want to come? I mean, yes I’m allowed to bring someone.. you really want to go?”

“Sure! I mean.. it can’t be too bad, not as long as you’re there.” He grinned, his face feeling warmer by the second. “Besides, we could leave anytime right? We could just go and hang out somewhere else.”

Ina blushed and nodded. “Yeah.. that’s true, we could.” She smiled. “Okay, I’ll text you the details.. and you really are sure?” 

“Yeah, I’m really sure Ina. I promise.” James smiled and looked at his watch. “Oh, shit I gotta go, but yeah, I’ll text you when I get home.” He grabbed his stuff and waved to her. “Bye!”

Ina merely waved, for she was too happy to even speak and was afraid if she tried to say something, no words would come out. But.. wait, was this a date?

——————

James burst through the door to his apartment, smiling. “I think I just asked Ina on a date!”

Ryan looked up from his laptop, smiling. “Good for you, wait, what do you mean “you think”?”

“Well she has this charity event she has to go to and said she didn’t want to go alone so, I asked if I could go with her and she said yes!”

He tilted his head. “I wouldn’t automatically assume it’s a date, unless she explicitly says it’s a date, it’s not a date.”

James sat down next to Ryan, staring down at the table, feeling only one thing.

He felt like a fool.


	5. purple lilacs and surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the night of the gala! Hopefully our two pining idiots enjoy themselves ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry chapter five took a while! I was writing angst, but we’re nearing the point where they FINALLY might confess, but then again, maybe we’re not too close ;) you’ll just have to wait and see

Ina had been to a few charity events before, but only because a friend of hers, Romelle, liked inviting her, telling her she needed to “get out more”. She loved Romelle, but was perfectly content with not mingling and making small talk with a bunch of strangers. 

Romelle wasn’t even the one hosting them, but a friend of hers, Allura. Her father was big in the science world or something, and they had fundraisers and charity events. Ina had never met Allura, but she heard good things about her, and she even attended Altea. So, she guessed despite her being rich, she was still down to earth. 

Anyway, tonight was the night of the gala itself, and unlike all the other times before, she wasn’t nervous. James was coming with her, which made her nervous for a whole other reason, and made her question whether this was a date or not. She didn’t think it was, but she didn’t want to assume it was and then he thought she was weird or something. So she decided to just see how the night went and go from there.

She looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing her dress out. She had gone with a forest green dress and green heels to match, and just a teensy bit of lip gloss. Ina had to admit, she looked pretty good, she didn’t dress up very often but when she did, she liked the “elegantly simple” look. All she had to do now was wait for James to arrive. 

James had insisted that he would come and pick her up, and then they’d go together. She just hoped that he didn’t get lost on the way to her place, or he didn’t get the wrong apartment number or—

Oh, there was a knock on her door. Thank goodness, he had made it. She went to open the door, and blushed brightly. 

He was dressed up in a suit and tie, and held out a bouquet of lilacs, purple lilacs to be exact, which made her blush brighter. Different colors of the same flower had many different meanings, like roses. In the case of lilacs, purple lilacs meant “first love”. Ina was sure he didn’t know that, but it made her heart feel like exploding, in a good way. She happily accepted the bouquet, smiling at him. “You look really handsome.”

“And you look extremely beautiful.” He smiled and slipped his hands in his pockets. “I hope you like the flowers, uh, I had to go to a different flower shop to get them, I hope that doesn’t compromise our friendship.”

Ina grinned and went to get a vase, filling it with water and putting the lilacs in them. “I’ll let it slide, this time.”

James let out a mock sigh of relief, offering his arm. “M’lady.” 

She smiled and rolled her eyes, linking their arms together and following him as he led her out to his car. “Mm, very nice.”

“Thanks, I don’t use it much because school is so close and I can just walk, buuut I wouldn’t want you to hurt your feet in your heels.” He chuckled and opened the car door for her, and then going to his side and getting in to start the car. “Ready?”

Ina smiled and set her clutch in her lap, nodding. “Ready.”

“Alright, so what’s this for again? The hospital?” He turned the radio down a bit, looking at the road. 

“Yeah, Allura likes donating all the funds to different charities. I think there’s some kind of auction tonight so the money will go to upgrade the pediatric wing of the hospital.”

He nodded. “That’s pretty cool, and her dad was some kind of scientist right?”

“Mhm, they’ve got facilities all over the place.” Ina smiled and pointed. “The place is right over there.”

“Gotcha.” He stopped the car, giving the valet the keys and helping Ina out of the car. “Pretty fancy.”

Ina nodded, suddenly feeling as if her stomach was in knots. She remembered why didn’t usually go, all the people and the overall extravagance of it all made her feel out of place. James noticed her expression, a look of fear, and slipped his hand into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be okay, I’m right here.”

She looked over at him, nodding, and together they walked in. The music from the band getting louder until they finally reached the main hall, and Ina was immediately tackled by an overexcited blonde. “Ah, Romelle!”

“Sorry, I’m just so glad you’re here!” Romelle grinned and pulled back. “Oh, and who’s this?”

“James Griffin, nice to meet you.” He smiled and nodded at her. 

Romelle gasped. “Oh my gosh, Ina why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend? Have you been holding out on me?”

The two immediately got flustered, stammering that no, they weren’t a couple, just friends. Romelle looked between the two of them, with their flushed faces and how their hands were linked. If they weren’t dating, they both definitely liked each other. 

“Right.. Well, oh Hunk come here!” She smiled and pulled on the guy she addressed as Hunk’s hand. “This is my boyfriend, Hunk Garrett! Hunk, this is Ina Leifsdottir and her friend, James.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Romelle’s told me a lot about you, Ina.” Hunk smiled warmly at her, shaking her hand. “Oh, and nice to meet you too James.” 

“You too.” James smiled and nodded at him. “So, you ever get used to these things?”

Hunk chuckled and shook his head, letting himself be pulled off by Romelle. “Not at all, oh, you’re sitting with us by the way, follow us!”

Ina shrugged and pulled James through the crowd, stopping in her tracks when she saw who else they were sitting with. “Oh.. wow, we’re sitting with Allura.”

James leaned down. “Like, the Allura that’s running this whole thing?”

“Yeah.. Wow.”

Allura looked up from her conversation with the man sitting next to her, beaming at Ina. “Oh! You must be Ina, please come sit!”

She sat down, James sitting on one side of her while Romelle sat on the other. “You’re Allura right? It’s nice to meet you, Romelle talks a lot about you, so it’s nice to meet you in person this time around.”

“It’s very nice to meet you as well! I know you’ve done flower arrangements for the last few events I’ve hosted, and I wanted to thank you personally, they always look beautiful and this time is no exception!” She smiled and laced her hand with the man she had been talking to before. “This is my fiancé, Keith Kogane.”

Keith nodded at her. “Nice to meet you.”

Allura chuckled. “He’s not big on these kinds of things. But we’re glad you’re here Ina, and who’s your friend?”

“James Griffin, it’s an honor to be here.” He squeezed Ina’s hand tighter under the table, smiling. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you too, and we’re glad you’re here! The more the merrier.”

After that, the conversation flowed pretty smoothly. Ina didn’t feel the least bit nervous, and she actually ended up enjoying herself. However, a part of the reason that might’ve been was because James was by her side the whole night. 

————————

“So, I had a really good time tonight.” 

James and Ina were walking up to her apartment, still hand in hand. He swung their hands a bit, stopping outside her door and turning to face her. “A really, really good time. Who knew galas could be fun?”

Ina smiled. “Yeah, I guess I never stayed long enough to enjoy myself.. but it was fun. Thank you for coming with me.”

“Anytime, if you have anymore of these coming up soon, I’m your man.” He chuckled. “Though, I never need an excuse to spend time with you..”

She blushed and leaned up against the door, James leaning towards her. Wait, was he going to kiss her? It seemed like it, oh my god was this going to happen? His eyes fluttered close, and hers did the same, their faces were millimeters apart and—

His phone rang. 

They both sighed as he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, groaning. “Sorry, it’s Nadia..” He huffed and answered it, “What Rizavi??”

While he argued with his roommate on the phone, she got over her own disappointment. It really had seemed like he was going to kiss her, and maybe he was. But maybe that phone call was the universe telling her that it wasn’t right? She shook her head. That was ridiculous, but.. maybe next time she’d get the kiss.

“—Uh huh, bye.” He sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry about that, Nadia wanted to know how it went.. um, well I’ll see you Ina, tomorrow?” He smiled hopefully.

She smiled, “Yeah, tomorrow sounds good. Have a good night James..”

“You too.” He stood there for a moment before leaning down to peck her cheek, blushing brightly as he backed up and retreated down the hall. 

Ina stood there, outside her door for a moment, her heart pounding in her ears and her face completely flushed. He had kissed her, granted it was just a kiss on the cheek, but still, he had kissed her. Could that mean, perhaps, that he returned her feelings? The smile on her face was the widest she had ever smiled before, and briefly, all was right and happy.

Before Ina unlocked her door, she saw a note posted to her door. She frowned and took it off the door, her eyes widening at the content. The rent on her lease was increasing, and she really did NOT have the kind of money to pay for that. Come on, she owned a flower shop in the middle of the city, the money she made was barely enough for her to get by on bills as it was. How was she supposed to do this?

She unlocked the door to her apartment and walked in, tossing the note and her clutch on the counter before going to the living room and collapsing on the couch, tears welling up in her eyes. What was she supposed to do?

Like I said, the moment of happiness was brief.


	6. red chrysanthemums and ghosting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James is ready to tell Ina how he feels (with the help of his mom and sister), but when she suddenly starts avoiding him, will he even get the opportunity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the block! Just when you think James is ready to confess how he feels, something gets in the way :> don’t worry, he’ll get his chance (eventually) also, his little sister Mia and mama Griffin make a little cameo in this chapter!

James could safely say that that was THE best night of his life. 

Sure, he hadn’t been big on the whole gala thing, but he’d gladly go with her anywhere. He had genuinely enjoyed himself with her by his side, she made witty comments, they ate and talked and it was just a really good night. He would do it again a thousand times over, not to mention they ALMOST kissed, almost. Of course Nadia had to call at the moment when they would’ve kissed, it’s like she planned it.

The even better part, it seemed like Ina wanted to kiss him too. He hoped to god that he wasn’t reading that situation wrong, but he 99% sure that he wasn’t, and that maybe, just maybe, she liked him too. He really hoped so anyway.

He made his way back to his place in a pretty good mood, almost like there was a skip in his step. When he got home, it was quiet, Nadia was staying at Veronica’s place for the night, and Ryan was probably already asleep. That was fine though, he was ready to change out of this damn suit.

He was coming out of the bathroom and going back to his room when his phone started buzzing. For a split second he thought it might’ve been Ina, but when he checked the caller ID it was none other than his little sister, Mia. It was only 10:30, so he supposed it wasn’t unusual that she was up, she was kind of a night owl. However, it had been a while since he talked to her on the phone, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her for a bit before bed. He chuckled and answered the phone. “Hey Mia.”

“Jaaaames.” Mia whined, causing him to snort a bit. “Why are you still awake? Don’t you have classes tomorrow or something?”

James smiled and sat down on his bed, leaning against the pillows. “I actually just got home from this charity thing a little while ago.” 

“Why were YOU at a charity event? When have you ever given to a charity??”

“It hurts that you have such little faith in my ability to give back Mia.” He chuckled. “No, but I went with this girl I met a week or two ago, Ina.”

He heard her gasp on the other end. “The Ina you met at the flower shop? The one you were telling me about? Was it a date??”

“Well, I don’t know if it was a date, but we had a good time. I think she might like me back, I leaned into kiss her and she was gonna kiss me back!” He grinned at just the memory, her lips puckered slightly as they both leaned in to kiss each other. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “Ah, Mia I’ve got it really bad for her..”

Mia squealed loudly. “Oh my god!! James you’re gonna get a girlfriend! I have to tell mom and dad!”

“Wait no—“

“Ma!!”

James sighed as he heard his mother walk into his sister’s room, probably a little ticked off that Mia was yelling so loud at almost 11:00 at night. His mom was a sweet woman, but also the toughest woman he had ever known. “Mia Griffin, what are you yelling about??”

“I’m talking to James mom! He said he likes a girl!”

He assumed Mia put him on speaker, so his mom could hear this news from him. “James is this true? Oh, is she your girlfriend??”

“No ma, but I wish she was if that makes it better.”

“Well what are you waiting for? If you don’t do it, someone else will, you have to go after what you want! Oh James this is so wonderful!” He could practically hear her smile on the other line. “If and when you two get together, you have to bring her over okay? We would all like to meet her!”

He chuckled. “Alright, I will.”

“Good, now get some sleep! It’s bedtime for everyone in this house young lady. I love you James!”

“I love you too mom, I’ll talk to you soon.”

He heard his mom leave the room, and Mia closed the door after her. “You’d better ask her out! Otherwise you might be lonely forever.”

“Haha, very funny. Go to sleep.” 

“Fine, night big bro!” And with that, she hung up, leaving James alone with his thoughts. His mother’s words rang in his ears, and he realized that she was right, as she usually was. If he wanted Ina, he had to go for it instead of dancing around his own feelings. He went to sleep that night with a clear plan in mind, and a smile on his face.

—————————

James had definitely done his homework, and no, not for class.

He had stayed up late looking up flower meanings, and what flowers he should get to help convey that he really, really liked her. He finally settled on red chrysanthemums, which just means “love”. Even if he didn’t love her just yet, he figured it would get the point across to her. He just hoped he wasn’t wrong, and that she actually did like him back.

The next day during physics, he had spaced out again, doodling Ina’s name on the margins of his notes. He felt like a lovesick high school girl, and he might as well be. He had only known her a few weeks, and yet it felt like he had known her his entire life.

Unfortunately, while he was spaced out, Lance leaned over to see what he was doing and only saw a couple hearts with Ina’s name in them. He grinned and nudged him a bit. “So you like Ina Leifsdottir huh?”

James dropped his pen, his cheeks going red. “W-What? No you’ve got that all wrong I—“

“Right, and those hearts don’t mean anything yeah?” 

He sighed defeatedly and put his head in his hands, feeling like he wanted to dig a hole in the floor and die. He guessed he wasn’t really discreet about it, so that was on him, but Lance had been bugging him about who he liked for weeks, so he saw his opening. “Fine, so what if I do?”

“Well, it just so happens that Ina is friends with Katie!” He grinned as the bell rang, the both of them gathering up their stuff. “I could maybe ask her to ask Ina if she feels the same way you do.”

James raised an eyebrow as he slung his bag over his shoulder, walking with Lance to the door. “What’s the catch?”

Lance gasped in mock hurt. “What? I can’t believe you think I want something in return! Can’t a guy just do something for the good of a hopeless guy in need?”

“Lance.”

“Fine, you got me, but it’s nothing bad!” He chuckled softly. “If she does like you, all four of us should go on a double date!”

“That’s it?”

He nodded. “Yep! That’s it, oh, hey Pidgey!”

James couldn’t see her over all the people in the hallway, but Lance spotted her and pulled her close to his side. “Hey Katie.”

Pidge nodded at him. “Hi, how was class?”

“Oh, the usual, but even better because I found out that James here has a crush on Ina!”

“Really?” Pidge looked at him, chuckling. “Well thank god, we have the same history class and all I see in her notebook are just really bad doodles of you.”

James couldn’t help but smile at that, and had he been alone when he got that news he probably would’ve done his version of a happy dance. But he’d do that later, “Really?”

“Yup, plus mashups of your names, Jina sounds weird but Inames is weirder so—“

“So did you see her today? In class that is.” James asked, on the verge of combusting from happiness.

She shook her head. “She wasn’t here today, which is weird because she’s never missed a day before. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well?”

James frowned a bit. She seemed to be fine last night, but maybe had come down with something that morning. He decided that he’d go and check on her later after his afternoon class, along with his confession.

So, at 3:00, he made his way to her apartment with the red chrysanthemums in hand, his palms sweaty and knees weak. Why was he so nervous? If Katie was telling the truth, and Ina did return his feelings, he had nothing to worry about. But confessing was always nerve wracking, and honestly he was just afraid that he would say the wrong thing.

He stood in front of her door for a solid five minutes before knocking, and patiently waiting for a minute or two before knocking again. Was she really so sick that she couldn’t drag herself out of bed? Maybe it was something she ate the night before, and she got food poisoning? He wouldn’t want to be bothered either, honestly, so he left the flowers at her door and left, not realizing that after he had gone, she had retrieved the flowers and retreated back into her apartment. 

————————

It had been a week now, and James was almost a 100% sure Ina was ghosting him. 

He had texted her after he left the chrysanthemums at her door, asking her to text him whenever she was feeling up to it. But she never did. He also saw her at school, but whenever he tried to wave or approach her, she turned tail and ran the other way, avoiding him completely. He even tried to ask Katie about it, but even she didn’t know. 

“She seems really off in class, spaced out and distracted. She looks exhausted too.. I’m worried about her.” She had confessed, frowning. “And she hasn’t talked to you at all?”

James sighed. “No.. if anything, she’s been avoiding me. I hope I didn’t do anything to offend her? But I don’t think I did..”

Katie shrugged, “Well, the only thing you can do is to wait it out. She’ll probably come to you when she’s ready.”

“Right.. thanks Katie.”

————————

It would be another week until James saw Ina again, but not in the way you might think. 

James worked as a bartender, which meant late hours and him ending up needing an extra shot of caffeine in the morning, but the pay was good so who was he to complain? He was pretty well acquainted with the regulars that frequented the place, and everyone found him pretty easy to talk to. 

So, you could only imagine his surprise when he saw an all too familiar looking blonde behind the bar during his next shift. He’d recognize those eyes and freckles anywhere. Eyes that looked like a deer caught in headlights when he tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Ina?”


	7. daffodils and confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ina is cornered and finally tells James the truth about her living situation (they missed each other a lot)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, not an actual love confession, though I promise that it’s coming! Just bear with me, it’ll be worth the wait I promise :3

Ina really had had no idea that James worked at a bar.

Sure, had he mentioned it? Yes, a few times, but he never specified which one exactly? How was she supposed to know that it was the most popular hub near Altea? They stood there, staring at each other for a moment until Ina meekly waved, “Hi..” 

James just stood there for a minute, raking a hand through his hair and pulling her into the back room, shutting the door.   
He turned the light on and she saw it was a relatively small room filled with cleaning supplies, and a single light above them. He sat down on a bucket, gesturing for her to do the same. “So.. I don’t want to sound accusatory or anything but.. what the hell has been going on the last few weeks?”

Ina sat down, wringing her hands. She had been caught, and she supposed it was time to come clean, with everything. 

————————

It had started the night of the gala, when she had been notified that the rent on her lease was going up, and when reality came crashing down that if she hardly had enough money to scrape by on bills each month, how would she be able to afford a higher rent??

She had completely shut down that night, not moving off the couch until the wee hours of the morning when her alarm clock went off, set for 6:30 am so she could get ready for 8:00 am class (she liked to leave enough room in case she was running late for some reason). She only got up to turn her alarm off and change out of her dress from the night before into something comfier. She didn’t feel like going to class, not that morning at least. So she just merely climbed back into bed and ended up dozing off, dreaming of her and James finally getting their kiss.

Ina ended up waking up around 3:00, when a knock sounded on the door. She froze, letting whoever it was knock a couple more times before they left. Her phone buzzed a moment later, and when she checked she saw it was James, asking her to text him later whenever she felt up to it. She wanted to, she desperately wanted to text him, or call him, to tell him what was going on. However, she stopped herself, suddenly feeling guilt wash over her. Why should she burden him with her problems?

This was her problem, and she’d fix it on her own. And to do that, she just needed to focus on her goal to do that.. which meant no more focusing on James, at least for the time being. She could only focus on work and school, and nothing else. 

————————

Only a week into her plan, and it wasn’t working. 

Somehow she kept up with all her schoolwork, thought it cost her sleep, and lots of it. The few odd jobs she found ended up working her past midnight sometimes, and sometimes she barely got four hours of sleep. She felt dead on her feet 24/7, but at least she was keeping herself afloat.

The hardest part, though, was avoiding James. 

She felt horrible for not telling him about what was happening, or not talking to him at all, but she didn’t want to be a burden. Once she fixed everything that was happening, she’d go back. Unfortunately, she didn’t know when that would be. 

During history, Pidge would always throw looks of concern her way, but she was too busy trying to keep herself awake to really pay attention. At the end of class, she got up and left, almost as if she were on autopilot to go to the shop. Despite all her problems right now, she felt at home and safe when she was at the shop.

She walked in, immediately heading to the back where all the flowers were. She needed a little pick me up, so she decided to create a little bouquet of flowers just for the hell of it. Ina chose daffodils, because they meant “rebirth” and “new beginnings”, and it sounded optimistic, which is what she needed just a tiny bit of. Optimism. 

Ina grabbed the vase of daffodils and carried them home, setting them next to her vase of red chrysanthemums, the ones she was sure James had left for her. She wasn’t sure if he knew what they meant, but if he did and he had gotten them intentionally? Well.. then maybe she did have something to feel optimistic about after all. 

————————

It was another week later that she had gotten the job at the Lion’s Den, a bar near Altea. She had applied a week back, went in for an interview, and had gotten the job. What she didn’t know was that she’d see the very person she was trying to avoid. 

Which brings us back here to the present, with Ina and James sitting on top of buckets in a supply closet. Ina was quiet, staring down at her feet while James took a moment to process all that she had told him. Without a word, he reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. 

“Well, I get wanting to take care of it on your own. I’ve done that before, and learned the hard way that it’s okay to ask for help.” He sighed softly and tilted her chin up, seeing the tears glistening in her eyes. “Hey.. Ah, Ina please don’t cry..”

“I.. I missed you, a lot..” She admitted, her lip trembling as the tears threatened to fall. “I didn’t like not talking to you, not at all..” The tears were coming now, dripping down her cheeks and splashing onto the floor. Normally, she would’ve been embarrassed to cry in front of anyone, but since it was James, instead of embarrassment, she felt.. safe. 

He smiled and reached out, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “I missed talking to you too, so can we get back to that..? I missed you too..”

She nodded eagerly, smiling a little. “Yes, we can.. I’d like that.”

“I’d like that too, trust me.” James stood up, pulling her up as well. “Now come on, I’ve gotta show you the ropes don’t I?”

Ina smiled a little wider, nodding. “That’d be much appreciated.” 

And that night, as he taught her the basics of bartending, she could only think of how relieved she was to be speaking with him again, and how she would NEVER avoid him and tell him what was going on in her life. Because whether he knew what the chrysanthemums meant or not, she knew he wanted to stay in her life, and she wanted the same.


	8. amaryllises and the rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is James fINALLY GONNA DO IT AND JUST ASK HER OUT ALREADY (maybe ;) )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it folks, the moment you’ve all been waiting for

James’s job as a bartender was a lot more enjoyable now that Ina worked with him. 

She was a fast learner, and now with them back on speaking terms, it was a 100 times better than working alone. They joked around and worked really well with each other, not that he doubted they wouldn’t, but still, he was glad.

However, there was still the elephant in the room. The fact that they had almost kissed, and the fact that they still had these feelings for each other that definitely were not going away. They hadn’t talked about these feelings, and though James wanted to, he wasn’t sure how he’d do it.

So, he decided to go to the two girls he was friends with, and maybe see if they had any advice to give. 

—————————

Nadia leaned forward in her seat, her hands clasped together. “So, you like flower shop girl?”

James sighed and nodded. “Ina, and yes I do.”

“Even after she ghosted you?”

Another sigh, “Yes.”

“Hm, so is she blind or—“

“I hate you.”

Veronica chuckled and rubbed Nadia’s back. “What she means to say, I think, is that are you sure? Even after she avoided you for weeks?”

He smiled fondly and nodded, thinking back to Ina. Her beautiful eyes, the way she lit up when she talked about her job or flowers, the way her hand felt in his, and the way he wished he could just kiss all of her freckles, and her sweet, kissable lips. 

“—Hello? Earth to James.” Nadia snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Answer the question.”

He sighed dreamily and nodded, leaning on his hand. “I’m definitely sure.”

Nadia grinned and crossed her arms. “Well, here’s what you gotta do then. Just man up and tell her how you feel!”

“Really? Is that all?” James retorted, his words dripping with sarcasm. “If it were that easy I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

“Well apparently it WAS that easy, because you fucking tried to kiss her.”

..touché.

He huffed softly. “Fine, So I do that. But when? When do I know when I should do it?”

“Hm.. do it when you’re both alone, with no one around.” Veronica suggested. “Are there times you can be?”

“Well, we usually close up the bar together.. you think I should do it then?”

“I’m saying it’d be ideal, if you feel like it’s right in the moment, then do it.” She smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the hand. “Believe me, if you think she likes you, and from what you’ve told us I think she does, you’ll be fine. I mean it’s what happened with Nadia and I.”

Nadia blushed, hiding her face in Veronica’s shoulder. “Ronnie..”

“What? I’m just saying,” she chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “The way you confessed was so cute, I still have the note.” 

James smirked. “I’ve never seen Nadia get this flustered over anything before, so, I’d like to personally thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

“Shut up, don’t you have a girl to confess your undying love to or something?” She huffed and tossed a pretzel at him from the bag she was eating from. “I don’t need this kind of harassment.”

He laughed and stood up, checking his watch. His shift started soon, so he should actually get going. “Yeah, I’ll see you guys later. Unless you’ll be at Veronica’s.”

“Ding ding ding, correct.” 

“I swear, you two are gonna be the first to get married out of us.”

“Most likely,” Veronica stood up with Nadia, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “See you James.”

“Bye.” He smiled and headed out, feeling a lot better about his confession.

————————

That night at work was especially slow, probably because it was a Monday night and most college kids were holed up in their rooms with homework and people were still getting off of work and didn’t feel like going out later. So that made James and Ina’s job a little easier. 

It was close to 11:00 pm when they started closing, because there were a few stragglers that had hung around and they had to be kicked out. There was a heavy rain falling outside, the droplets pounding heavily on the roof and on the poor people who had gotten stuck out in the rain unexpectedly. 

James had always found the rainfall soothing, but even more so when he was at home, curled up in bed and watching a movie. Glancing over at Ina, who was watching the rain, he realized that he would like nothing more than to snuggle up with Ina on a rainy day, watching movies and curled up under a fuzzy blanket with them giving each other lazy kisses. He blushed at the thought and looked back down at the bar, continuing to wipe it down. 

He wasn’t sure what came over him, whether it be that Ina had made her way back over to him and was standing next to him, or if it was just because Veronica’s words were running through his head at the moment, but right now he felt as if it was the right time to tell Ina. 

“Hey, so.. I need to talk to you.”

Ina hummed and turned her head, and when she looked at him, it was like he suddenly forgot how to speak. “James?”

“D-Did you know amaryllis flowers mean splendid beauty?” He sputtered, mentally kicking himself. That was meant to be a nice ending to when he was done confessing, so that he could say that her beauty was even more so than amaryllises. But, alas, James had to forget how to speak. I told you he did his flower homework though.

Ina blinked at him, a wide grin spreading across her face. “I did.. when did you look that up?”

“Well, it was when I looked up what chrysanthemums meant, red ones, to be specific.” He gulped, anticipating what she might say. If it clicked in her head what they meant, and that he had gotten those one specifically, well, hopefully she’d know what he meant. 

“Red..” a look of realization flashed in her eyes as she looked up at him, hopefully. “Wait..”

He gently intertwined their hands, his heart pounding in his ears. Here goes nothing. “Ina I.. I know the last couple of weeks were a little rough, but before that I think things were going pretty well. Especially when I tried to kiss you that night.”

She nodded, tears pricking her eyes. “Y-Yes.. I wanted to kiss you then too.. I’ve liked you for a long time now, James..” She laughed breathlessly, her cheeks tinted red.

He grinned and cupped her face, laughing along with her. “Well, does this mean you’re my girlfriend now?”

“I think so, yes. And you’re my boyfriend?”

“You bet.” He felt her arms wrap around him, tugging him closer to her. “So..”

“Hm?”

“I’m just, well.. I’m gonna do something I should’ve done a lot sooner.” He smiled and softly pressed their lips together, kissing her softly.

It wasn’t like how books or movies described it, there were no angels singing, no choir or fireworks going off. All he heard was the pattering of the rain outside, and the breathless pants from the two of them after they pulled away. He smiled and started kissing her cheeks softly, causing her to giggle. “God, you’re so cute Ina..”

They stood like that for a few more minutes before they had to finish closing, but neither of them could resist going over to the other and just giving them a peck on the cheek. 

Ina had brought an umbrella because she had actually looked at the weather, while James hadn’t. So she walked him out to his car. “By the way, what was the bit about the amaryllis flower for?”

“Oh, well I was kind of planning to end with that, and I was gonna say that you were more beautiful than that, heh.” He smiled sheepishly as he opened the door to his car and tossed his bag inside. “Too cheesy?”

She shook her head, her blush more prominent. “No, not at all.. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“But I’ll call you in the meantime.” He chuckled. “See you tomorrow.” 

She smiled and waved, jogging off to her own car.

James sighed happily, in an especially good mood now. He opened the door to his apartment and saw it was dark, Ryan must already be in bed and Nadia was spending the night at Veronica’s again. That was fine, he would just share the good news with them tomorrow. 

In the meantime, he texted his sister, who was already asleep, but would gladly accept the news and probably call him as soon as she woke up the next morning. It’d be a while before he was bringing Ina home to meet his family, he didn’t want it to be too soon. Unless his mother invited them over, and if Ina was okay with it, then maybe. But he wanted to take her out a few times before that. 

He laid down in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He dozed off and fell asleep with thoughts of Ina running through his mind.


	9. make sure to water your plance and be mindful of the leifs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a filler chapter, it’s the Plance and Leiffin double date time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so as you can see I tried to be clever with the chapter title (plants have leaves, haha I’m trying too hard). Anyway, sorry it’s a little short! I started school on Tuesday so I haven’t had much time to write, but I’m starting another fic soon, despite me not having a lot of time, but this will be updated as often as possible! Their story isn’t over yet!

For the rest of the night, Ina was in a daze, still being able to feel James’s lips on hers, his sweet yet nervous confession, and the fact that he had gone out of his way to research flower meanings to impress her. It was cheesy, but also endearing. 

She went to bed that night feeling giddy, and with James on her mind.

—————————

The next day, James was waiting on a bench near campus for her, coffee in both hands, one for her. He smiled and handed it to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and tugging her close to his side as they walked and drank.

“Mm, so when should we go out?” He asked, tossing his empty cup in a garbage can. 

Ina thought for a moment, sipping her coffee. “I’m free this weekend, Sunday I think.”

“Sounds good.” He grinned and pecked her cheek, walking inside with her and down to her history class. Katie and Lance were there, standing outside the door and laughing at something she had said. Katie spotted them and waved. “Hey guys.”

Ina waved back, a little surprised at the excited whoop that Lance did, and even more so when he came up and clapped James on the back. “Congrats man! I knew you had it in you to tell her!”

James waved him off, sighing. “Yeah, thanks..”

“So, now that you two are together, does that mean a double date is FINALLY in the works?” He asked, bouncing on his feet. 

Ina looked over at James, who apparently knew what he was talking about, on account of the somewhat irritated look on his face. “Yeah, we’ll make it happen Lance. When are you guys free?”

“We’re free this Friday, is that good for you guys?”

Ina and James exchanged looks, Ina shrugging and nodding. She supposed it wouldn’t be too bad, plus she and James could always go out by themselves on Sunday anyway. James sighed and turned back to them. “Friday it is.”

“Yes! Okay cool, we’ll talk about details and stuff later, James and I gotta go.” Lance smiled and kissed Pidge, saying bye to her while James pulled Ina to the side, saying bye as well. 

“I’ll see you after class, and then later we can head to the shop?” He kissed the top of her head, smiling a bit.

“Definitely, I’ll see you then.” She smiled and squeezed his hands, walking into class with Pidge while the boys made their way to their own classroom. “So, a double date?”

Pidge snorted and sat down. “Yeah, it was Lance’s idea. I mean hey, I don’t really mind it, I like hanging out with you and James seems cool.”

Ina nodded in agreement, taking out her notebook and getting ready for class. She had never been on a double date before, so she didn’t really know what to expect, but she had no reason to believe that it wouldn’t be enjoyable.

——————————

So, on Friday evening, James and Ina met up with Lance and Pidge in front of their apartment building, Lance inviting them in happily. “Glad you guys made it!”

Ina nodded and looked around. “So.. the double date is taking place at your apartment?”

“Nah, an even better spot.” Pidge smiled and walked hand in hand with Lance up the stairs, all the way to the roof. She opened the door and revealed there to be a picnic in the middle of the roof. “Ta-da.”

Ina smiled and walked over to the blanket, tugging James along. “This is really nice..”

“I know right? Pidge and I do this a lot, so we thought we’d let you two in on the fun.” Lance grinned and sat down, opening the basket up. “We don’t really know what you two liked, so we made pizza, hope you don’t mind.”

James tilted his head, sitting down next to Ina. “You made pizza?”

Pidge raised her hand. “I did, actually.”

Ina grabbed a plate and a piece, taking a tentative bite, her eyes widening. This was really good! She had never really been a big pizza person, but she could get behind this. “This tastes really good, how did you learn how to make this?”

“Family recipe, my family’s Italian, so as stereotypical as it is, I know how to make homemade pizza, pasta, and other Italian foods.” 

“That’s cool, I didn’t know that.” James shrugged and took a bite. “Oh shit this is good.”

Pidge snorted. “Thanks.”

For the rest of the night, the two couples ate and talked about the most random things, from food to school to hobbies. It was a lot more fun than Ina anticipated, Lance was really nice and kinda funny too, she understood what Pidge saw in him. 

But then, looking at James, she knew in her heart she wouldn’t want anyone else.

—————————

Around 10:00, James and Ina bid Pidge and Lance goodbye, and went back to Ina’s place. They wanted to hang out for a while before he had to head back home, as they hadn’t since they started dating. So they hung out on her couch and flipped through Netflix, Ina’s head on James’s shoulder while his free arm was around her. “What should we watch?”

He shrugged. “I’m down to watch anything, I dunno. What kind of movies do you like?”

“Hm, I’ll watch anything, I like historical dramas though. If I’m in the mood I’ll watch a Disney movie.” She chuckled. How could anyone resist Disney? The old movies were a classic.

“I grew up on Disney, Mia was obsessed.” He snorted, clicking ‘High School Musical’. Another classic. “How about this?”

Ina nodded, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around them. “Sounds good.. so, wait, does this count as a date?”

“Hm?”

“Just this, sitting in my place watching a movie.. does that count?”

James thought for a moment, pulling her closer. “I think a date can count as whatever. Even if you’re just hanging out with your significant other and you’re both having a good time, then anything can count as a date. But I’m still taking you out on Sunday.”

She smiled and nuzzled her face into his shirt, smiling even wider when his arm tightened around her. “I like that idea.”


End file.
